Although it has been a while since I last uploaded any colouring pictures, I am definitely still a fan. However, I struggle to find time to do much to be honest.
I recently picked up the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Magical Creatures colouring book as I loved the film! Plus the pictures in this book are amazing.
Although just the title page, this was a nice one to colour in, especially the Mooncalf in the corner. It was a simple yet fun way to get stuck in to the book.
I used some of my metallic colouring pencils and my Faber Castells.
Hello and welcome to Books and Kats! Keep an eye out for my latest book reviews and updates on my life.
Saturday, 31 December 2016
Friday, 16 December 2016
Spotlight: Highway Thirteen to Manhattan by Kourtney Heintz
The Six Train to Wisconsin Series
Book
Two
Kourtney
Heintz
Genre: Paranormal
and Suspense
Publisher: Aurea
Blue Press
Date of
Publication: 11/1/2016
ISBN:
978-0989132688
ASIN: TBA
Number of pages:
420
Word Count: 94,000
Cover Artist:
Creative Paramita
Book Description:
His secrets almost
killed her. Her secrets may destroy them both.
Kai is recovering
from a near-death experience when she realizes something isn’t right. Her body
is healing, but her mind no longer feels quite like her own. Her telepathic
powers are changing, too. She can’t trust herself. The darkness growing inside
of her pushes her to use her telepathy as a weapon.
Oliver clings to
the hope that he can save their marriage, even though he was the one who put
her life in jeopardy. As his wife slips further and further away from him, he
becomes increasingly obsessed with bringing the man who ruined his life to
justice.
The sequel to The
Six Train to Wisconsin is a genre-defying tale of love and consequences. Once
again, award-winning author Kourtney Heintz seamlessly weaves suspense and
paranormal intrigue into a real-world setting, creating characters rich in
emotional and psychological complexity.
"Family
secrets, paranormal suspense, and romance collide in Heintz's fascinatingly
original tale. A compelling read that will keep you guessing and haunt you long
after the last page is turned." -Gretchen Archer, USA Today Bestselling
author of the Davis Way Crime Capers
Grab Book One for
Free October 1- December 1
The Six Train to
Wisconsin
Excerpt - Chapter One
Kai
Like
most daughters, I loved my parents, but right now, I wanted them anywhere but
here. Hospitals are always hard, but my parents managed to make it harder. My
head was already pounding from all the thoughts and emotions coming at me. Not
just from the patients and their families and the doctors and the nurses, but
also from my mother and father. Instead of shielding their thoughts and trying
to make it better for me, they let their emotions crash into me.
My mind
wasn’t strong enough for all this. Neither was my body. Tubes eviscerated my
right hand. A giant bruise blossomed beside the newest IV line. A cast wrapped
around my left wrist. My broken pinky finger had been set and taped to my ring
finger. The back of my head was held together with stitches. Beneath the
blanket, my body was covered in bruises.
I
didn’t feel any physical pain because of the medications the doctors pumped
into me. They said I needed it to recover, but it made my body feel like it
wasn’t mine. And the steady drip of opiates didn’t just steal my physical pain;
it left me unable to form the psychic shield I needed to protect myself from
the misery swirling around me.
Mom sat
in the chair closest to my bed. She wore one of her flowing peasant blouses and
faded jeans. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and light brown strands
slipped loose to hang around her face. The corners of her hazel eyes were
pinched with worry.
Her
hand hovered over my arm, unsure where to touch me—if she should touch me.
Finally, she laid her hand gently on my thigh. “You just need to rest here for
a few more days.”
She was
wrong. I needed to get out of here. Away from all these thoughts as soon as
possible. “I want to go home.”
Mom
shook her head. “You need to let the doctors help you.” Like they did last
time.
Her
thoughts slammed into my brain. She thought hospitalization was the solution to
everything.
“Please.
Look at what’s happened to you. You can’t go home until you’re better,” she
said. I can’t lose you. I won’t let that happen.
I
didn’t know how to reassure her. Yes, I’d almost died, but being here was
hurting me more than it was healing me. I swallowed all the words I wanted to
say and hoped for Caleb to come back soon. My brother would know how to talk to
Mom, how to make her understand.
The
doctor came in to check on me and Mom’s agonizing fear rose up. Don’t let her
have brain damage.
Dad
patted Mom’s shoulder. He looked like an older, surfer version of Caleb. Both
were tall and muscular with curly blond hair. Dad’s hair was a darker blond
streaked with platinum from decades in the sun and salt water. His eyes were
greener than Caleb’s, but like Caleb’s, they were rimmed with purple bruises. When
Dad smiled, sun lines radiated from his eyes and cut across his cheeks. But I
hadn’t seen them since he’d arrived at my bedside. Instead, waves of exhaustion
rolled off him and rippled over me, right before I heard his thoughts. I can’t
go through this again, watching you slip away.
My
younger sister Naomi lounged in the chair in the corner as far from me as she
could get. She had Mom’s light brown hair and thin frame and Dad’s green eyes
and height. She looked nothing like me and only distantly related to Caleb. Her
long legs looped over the armrest as she flipped through a magazine. Thanks for
ruining Christmas break. I’d rather be anywhere but here.
I felt
the same way.
At
least Oliver was gone for the moment. Mom had convinced him to go home, take a shower,
maybe even sleep. I couldn’t bear his guilt; it was so thick it choked me.
Oliver.
My husband. God. I’d never loved and hated someone so much at the same time. I
still couldn’t believe he’d called my parents. He knew how bad they were at
handling me. How could he have thought that having my family here would be good
for me?
Bitterness
frosted my thoughts. I was in a hospital, bruised and battered. I’d almost
died. That’s what Caleb had said. He was the only one willing to tell me the
truth. Oliver had said it was bad, but he wouldn’t say how bad. He couldn’t
bear to admit what happened to me.
Kourtney Heintz is
the award-winning and bestselling author of The Six Train to Wisconsin (2013),
the first book in The Six Train to Wisconsin series. She also writes
bestselling young adult novels under the pseudonym K.C. Tansley. Heintz is a
member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of
America, and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Heintz has
given writing workshops and author talks at libraries, museums, universities,
high schools, conventions, wineries, non-profits organizations, and writing
conferences. She has been featured in the Republican American of Waterbury,
Connecticut; on WTNH’s CT Style; and on the radio show, Everything Internet.
Kourtney resides
in Connecticut with her warrior lapdog, Emerson, and three quirky golden
retrievers. Years of working on Wall Street provided the perfect backdrop for
her imagination to run amok at night, envisioning a world where out-of-control
telepathy and buried secrets collide.
You can find out
more about Kourtney and her books at:
Tour
Giveaway:
5 signed copies shipping
to anywhere in the world
And
Kourtney’s
Giveaway open from October 1-December 1 - prizes include naming a character in her
next book, Butternut gift basket, and a $50 Amazon gift card. Enter on her
Facebook page: http://gvwy.io/bwh02f9
Wednesday, 7 December 2016
Book Review: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Mist and Fury – Sarah J. Maas
*Warning – may contain spoilers*
Author: Sara J.
Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publishing
First published: 2016
Edition: Paperback,
signed
Pages: 264
Blurb: Feyre is immortal.
After rescuing her lover Tamlin
form a wicked Faerie Queen, she returns to the Spring Court possessing the
powers of the High Fae. But Feyre cannot forget the terrible deeds she
performed to save Tamlin’s people – nor the bargain she made with Rhysand, High
Lord of the feared Night Court.
As Feyre is drawn ever deeper
into Rhysand’s dark web of politics and passion, war is looming and an evil far
greater than any queen threatens to destroy everything Feyre has fought for.
She must confront her past, embrace her gifts and decide her fate.
She must surrender her heart to
heal a world torn in two.
History of my copy: ACOMAF was one of
the many books I picked up in my book haul last May.
It was a bit of a gamble as I hadn’t read ACOTAR at that point and didn’t like
Maas’ Throne of Glass much but as it was a signed copy, I couldn’t resist. And
I’m so glad I got it!
I’ve said before that the time it takes me to read a book
and how much I like it are in no way linked, and ACOMAF is a perfect example of
that. It has taken me nearly 2 months to read (and now over a month to review),
but is hands down one of my all-time favourite books.
Plot: ACOMAF starts pretty much where
ACOTAR ends, with Feyre trying to settle to some kind of normalcy now that she
is immortal. She thinks Tamlin and the Spring Court are all she needs when, in
reality, it starts to suffocate her, leading her down a path she doesn’t want,
right up to her wedding which Rhysand interrupts under the pretence of carrying
out the contract he had made with Feyre to save her life – she was to stay with
him for one week a month.
Although
not an ideal escape, it is clear that Feyre is glad that she is now in the
Night Court and as the two get closer, she is let in to all the wonderful
secrets that the rest of Prythian don’t know. However, as her relationship with
Rhys and his closest friends grows, so does the looming danger and thus they
work together to try and save Prythian and the Mortal Lands from King Hybern.
In the end, though, there is a plot
twist that turns Feyre’s life upside down and sets the perfect scene for book
3.
Setting: Although featuring many
settings all over Prythian, it is the Night Court that truly takes the lead in
the second book of the series, with the reader being introduced not only to
Rhys’ home in the mountains, but to his secret city, Velaris, polar opposite to
the Court of Nightmares hidden inside a mountain. This is a hidden paradise in
what is perceived as the darkest of the courts, and Maas describes it
perfectly, to the point where it is entirely understandable why Rhys did
everything to keep it safe.
We
also get a chance to visit the Summer Court, a paradise in its own right, but
as Feyre gets accustomed to Rhys’ home, as does the reader to the extent that
nowhere but Velaris feels like home anymore. Creating a beautiful setting is
definitely one of Maas strong points, and this really shines in ACOMAF with
each setting being fully distinguishable from the next.
Characters: You may remember that I left
my review of ACOTAR with adoration for Tamlin and a complete lack of
understanding of the love of Rhys. Well, now I get it. After ACOMAF, there is
no way I can adore Tamlin and with everything we learn about Rhys, it all
becomes clear! Although I’m still not sure whether the twists truly suit the characters,
Maas has done it well and I think I can go along with it.
You
may also remember that I didn’t like the ending given to Feyre. However, Maas
has brilliantly portrayed our heroine’s development from human to immortal,
detailing how she gets used to the physical powers she now has, along with a
fantastic sub story of her dealing with the emotions and PTSD she has from
Under the Mountain. I really must praise Maas for furthering Feyre’s story in a
beautifully believable way as it is something that really adds to ACOMAF.
To read or not to
read: Read. Hands down read.
Somehow even better than ACOTAR, ACOMAF has deepened the story and taken it
away from the Beauty and the Beast backbone and allowed it to develop into its
own fantastically unique tale. I am just dying to get my hands on the next
book, recently revealed to be titled A Court of Wings and Ruin, and I need it
right now!
Find my review for A Court of Thorns and Roses here!
Tuesday, 6 December 2016
Promo Post: Feast of Mercy by Kathryn M. Hearst
Order
of the Sinistra Dei
Book
Two
Kathryn
M. Hearst
Genre: Urban
Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Publisher:
Crushing Hearts and
Black Butterfly
Publishing
Date of
Publication: October 4, 2016
Number of pages:
approx. 300
Word Count: 75,000
Cover Artist:
Marcela Bolivar,
Designer Shawn T.
King
Book Description:
An ancient feud. A
threat from the Vatican. Two lovers caught in the middle.
Nick never wanted
to live forever, and he certainly didn’t want to join the Order of the Sinistra
Dei. Unfortunately, before he’s able to get used to the idea of immortality,
the High Judge from the Vatican arrives in New Orleans to investigate the
strange events of Fat Tuesday. If Nick doesn’t play his cards right, his
forever could be a whole lot shorter.
Marin, a
relatively new immortal, is forced to serve as assistant to the High Judge
while he investigates the alleged crimes of those she holds most dear. She’ll
do what she has to do to protect her clutch. However, her efforts bring her
closer to facing the executioner’s blade.
As their world
spins out of control, Marin and Nick struggle to reconcile past hurts and hold
onto their budding relationship. New enemies, new abilities, and new desires
threaten to tear them apart. It isn’t long before they realize love can’t heal
all.
Loving someone
means you want the best for them...but what happens when what’s best isn’t you?
Feast
of Mercy is the second book of the Order of the Sinistra Dei series, an Urban
Fantasy/Paranormal Romance like no other. If you like mysterious supernatural
creatures, conflict-ridden romance and a lot of heat, then you’ll love this
series.
Short
Excerpt:
Nick
expected sounds from her—moans, maybe a scream or two. What he didn’t expect
was for her to bolt upright and let out a blood curdling scream.
Déjà-fucking-vu.
“Get
out,” Marin shouted.
For a
brief terrifying second, Nick thought she spoke to him, then a male voice spoke
from the door.
“Marin,
I require your services,” a man said from behind him.
Nick
covered her body with his unsure of what else to do. He didn’t recognize the
voice, though he detected a European accent. Anyone who called her by name
would have recognized him, even with his face buried between her legs. It had
to be Lysander.
When
the door clicked shut, he hopped off. “Who was that?”
“The
High Judge. He’s practically a priest. A freaking priest saw my boobs.” Marin
scrambled off the couch in search of her clothes.
“He’s
not a priest. Worse.” Nick laughed deep in his gut. If looks could kill, he’d
be stone cold dead, for keeps this time. “I’m sorry. Do you think he recognized
me?”
“Where
is my bra, dammit?” She pulled her jeans on commando style.
Nick
handed her the scrap of lace she called panties. “Where are we going?”
“You
aren’t going anywhere. You’re going to hide here until he’s gone, then go back
to Gia’s. I need to find out what the hell he wants.” She snatched her bra from
the edge of the desk and rushed it on.
Nick
ran his hand through his hair. “Shit. This is bad.”
“Call
Gia.”
“I
will.”
“Now.”
Marin slipped out the door.
Gia’s
phone rang until he thought it would go to voicemail. “Hey, Nick.”
“Gia,
the High Judge came looking for Marin.”
“The
bar.” Nick’s stomach clenched. “I don’t know if he saw me.”
“Did he
say why he wanted Marin?”
“No,
but you need to be careful. Nicholai and Serena are still in town. If he comes
to the townhouse, Nicholai doesn’t need to be the one to answer the door.”
“Shit,
hang on.” She spoke with someone. “Okay, where are you now?”
“I’m still upstairs
in the office, he barged in and caught us…um…making up. I didn’t get a look at
him.”
About the Author:
Kathryn M. Hearst
is a southern girl with a love of the dark and strange. She has been a
storyteller her entire life, as a child, she took people watching to new
heights by creating back stories of complete strangers. Besides writing, she
has a passion for shoes, vintage clothing, antique British cars, music,
musicians and all things musical (including theater). Kate lives in central
Florida with her chocolate lab, Jolene; and two rescue pups, Jagger and
Roxanne. She is a self-proclaimed nerd, raising a nerdling.
The Order of the
Sinistra Dei is her first series and includes titles, Feast of the Epiphany and
Feast of Mercy. Kate's novel, The Spirit Tree, won a publishing contract with
Kindle Press through the Kindle Scout contest. Her short stories have been
published in various anthologies.
Tour
giveaway:
1 $50 Amazon Gift
Card
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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